History
in a Nutshell20th Century Personal Naming Practices
in Azerbaijan

by Jala Garibova and Betty
Blair

Part 1 of 4

Names are the DNA of the social
organism we call community. One tiny strand of letters carries
an incredible amount of vital information in terms of a person's
social heredity. From a single word, it is often possible to
determine a person's gender, education level, social and economic
status, language, religious preference, sense of aesthetics and
values, political inclinations, nationality, age (in terms of
historic period), and sometimes even birth sequence.

Like DNA, names not only reflect the inheritance of the past,
but in a general sense, they map out expectations and possibilities
for the future.

Sara Khanum Ashurbeyli,
daughter of one of Baku's most famous Oil Barons at the age of
one and a half in 1907. She celebrated her 90th Jubilee in January
1996.

No one is more conscious of
the inherent power of names than those who have lived under repressive
systems, whether they be economic, political or religious, or,
in the case of the Soviet republics like Azerbaijan, all three.
Under such circumstances, the prudent selection of a name can
give an individual a slight edge or advantage over another.

The historical record of most nations is written exclusively
by those in powerful positions. Names as the DNA of communal
experience provide a more subtle and, at the same time, more
comprehensive record of the perceived influences and forces that
have shaped the destiny of a community. The history according
to names is inclusive and, therefore, more accurate. The pen
of every name giver counts, not just those who enjoy status.

Note: Many names for this study have been gleaned from official
documents-mostly birth certificates. It's a normal practice in
such research; however, in the case of Azerbaijani names, the
process has been rather painstaking in Baku since the republic
has had three official alphabets during this past century. To
acquire the data meant deciphering handwritten records of all
three scripts: Arabic (up to 1929), Latin (between 1929-1939),
Cyrillic (1939-1991) and Latin again (1991 to present).

This overview of naming practices
begins with the Soviet period (1920-1991), which was primarily
influenced by Russian naming practices. It then reverses in history
to discuss the Pre-Revolutionary period (before 1920) when Islam
shaped many names. Finally, it discusses trends that seem to
be evolving during this contemporary period since Azerbaijan
gained its independence (1991 to present). Generally speaking,
it's a period marked by a quest to return to their own Azerbaijani
and Turkic roots.

Ask Azerbaijanis these days
about some of the personal names that emerged during the Soviet
Period, and words like Traktor (tractor) and Kombayn (combine)
often top their lists. Needless to say, these names no longer
"work," but earlier this century when there was great
emphasis on the industrialization of agriculture, such farm machinery
obviously captured the imagination of people as they moved from
a feudal system to a centralized government, which provided the
means for mass production.

Names such as Traktor and Kombayn
were not very widespread, but the fact that they did exist indicates
how even children's names came to be used as tools of persuasiveness
to express loyalty to the Soviet system, especially during the
period now known as "Stalin's Repression" of the 1930s
and 50s. During this period, hundreds of thousands and even millions
of people throughout the Soviet Union were shot, imprisoned or
exiled to Siberia if their allegiance to the State was, in any
way, questionable or, in some cases, even questioned. [During
the 40s, there was a slight reprieve from these internal purges;
Stalin and other Soviet leaders were preoccupied with "The
Great Patriotic War" (World War II), so much of which was
fought on Soviet soil].

Some of the other names that emerged during that period were
based on concepts related to the Communist party and governmental
structures. For example, there was Narkom (from Russian, Narodniy
Komitet which means People's Committee) and Raykom (from Azerbaijani,
Rayon Komitesi meaning Regional Committee).

Even commonplace words like "organization," Tashkilat
(tash-ki-LAT), which frequently appeared in the media, found
their way into the repertoire of personal names as there were
local Party and Komsomol (collective farm) organizations everywhere.
The word Tablighat (ta-bli-GHAT), meaning "propaganda,"
came to be used as a male name (it does not carry with it the
negative connotations so common to English; simply, it meant
"dissemination of ideas" in Soviet ideology). Even
"information" was created as a name-Malumat.

Of course, such names were not
widespread among Azerbaijanis, but again, the fact that they
even existed provides evidence of the influence of the political
system upon the society as a whole. Though it may appear otherwise
from these examples, name givers the world over are extremely
conscious of the names they give their offspring, as they are
always trying to anticipate how well the name will be accepted
among the circle of people whom they want to influence.

Names of months were also given, especially those which related
to significant Socialist or Soviet events. Oktyabr (ok-TABR)
commemorated the Great Socialistic Revolution which took place
in October 1917. Mayis (Mah-YIS) marked the holiday of the Solidarity
of the Workers, which today is often referred to as May Day (May
1) around the world. MORE. .